Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1887-12-02
On Saturday. September I, Is

securing admission to their premises
DR.. Brandreth's cashier and Genin'
book keeper were in audience, escl
unaware Of the presence and purpose
of the other. The auctioneer mount
ed bis stand, and calling "order,
said with great impressiveness:
Ladies AID gentlemen | am go
ing to offer you the first choice of {
seat with the privilege of ten seats a
the same price, for the first coCcert il
America of the world renowned
Swedish Nightingale, Mademoi>elI,
Jenny Lind"
A rustic of expectation through
out the vast ediice was beard for ,
few moments, and then ensued pro
found silence "What am l offered?
asked the auctioneer.
Twenty dollars!" startled the
audience, knowing that it was bid by
DIR Brandreth's cashier The vas
multitude held its breath for a mo
ment, when Fifty dollarsl" was
heard. The audience could not with
Hciu d IOusiuS CuetT.
''Seventy-ive dollars!"
zone hundred dollars!" followed ir
quick succession, and after the lapse
of half minute, as the auctioneel
was about to knock it down, "a hun
dred and fifty dollars" from Genin',
agent electrified the listeners
1.-TWO hundred dollars!" quickly
came like clap of thunder.
1.-TWO hundred and twenty five
dollars!" exclaimed voice in strong
and determined tone.
THE three thousand ladies anG
gentlemen present were fairly be
wildered. A minute elapsed, when
the auctioneer, who had not had g
chance to open his mouth since the
bidding commenced, said:
us this the last bid, gentlemen!
Bid quick or you lose it. Going, 90.
ing, gone. Who is the lucky pur.
chasei?"
John n. Genin, the bstter!" cri.
ed a slentorian voice. The multi
tude seemed thunderstruck, but in
an instant there went up "Three
cheers for Genin, the hatter!" which
were distinctly heard on the main
land and reverberated around the
world
| saw Mr. Genin soon after the
auction was over. congratulated him
on his pluck and success, and asked
him out of curiosity how much be
would have paid for that choice seat
rather than to have missed its pur-
chase He replied:
Il told my book-keeper to bid as
high as as u thousand dollars, if nec-
essary; and then, as he knew how
my bank account stood, he might use
lis own discretion.
DR.. Brandreth told me the next
day that be limited his cashier to two
hundred dollars, not dreaming that
any one else would bid half that;
"but." be added, Il had better have
paid five thousand dollars than to
have missed securing the first Jenny
LiDd ticket. Such splendid chance
for notoriety will never again offer" "
Genin made a fortune out of it.
His hats were bought 10y nearly ev-
erybodv, and as he was careful to
make q good article, we'll worth the
price paid, be secured thousands of
permanent customers Almost every
man visiting New York, was sure to
wear home "Genin hat," thus caus-
ing his neighbors to envy him till
they in secured similar prize.
In Dubuque, Iowa, it was told
that twenty or thirty men were a.
waiting at the post Office the arrival
of the mail containing a newspaper
account of of the Jenny Lind ticket
Sale. One man seized the paper and
read aloud to his anxious friends:
"The first Jenny Lind ticket sold for
two hundred and twenty-five dollars
to Genin, the halter"
Every man present iDvoluntarily
took off hat to see if it was made by
Genin. Sure enough, one who wore
an old bat not worth fifty cents found
Genin's name in it. He instantly
became the hero Of the hour. All
shook hands with him and rendered
their congratulations. One gentle
man exclaimed:
MY dear sir, that hat is invalua-
ble' Preserve it carefully, and hand
it down as an heirloom"
Another man called out; "Jim,
you are lucky, but don't be mean.
Give US all a chance; set up your
Genin hat at auction"
"Jim," being not overburdened
with cash, and caring more for
money than heirlooms, acceded to
this proposition. Taking the hat
from his head he cried out: "Here she
goes, goes. Give US bid for the real
Genin bat!"
The first bid was one dollar, and
with in the space of five minutes it
was knocked down for seven dollars
and fifty cents and paid for.
Newspapers and magazines all
over the country, and indeed in oil
countries, spoke of Genin's achiev-
ment. The Loudon Times devoted
nearly two columns to the Jenny
Lind excitement in A merica, the auc-
tion sale of tickets and "Genin, the
hatter," and said that at the first con-
cert Mr.. Genin ought himself to occu-
py the prize seat. and have a huge
hat spread over it that the purchaser
might be recognized by the audience.
Of course all these things brought
grist TO my mill by helping to in
crease the excitement over what was
undoubtedly the greatest musical tri-
umph of any age or country.
Some twenty years after this
event, my English friend. George
Augustus Sala. visited New York rs
correspondent of the London Daily
Telegraph. l called on him at the
Brevoort House 1t was winter, and
l took him in my sleigh for q drive
through Central Park. On my way
| called at the home of Mr.. Genin on
Fourteenth street, and invited him to
join US. AS we rode through the
park, all joining in pleasant conver-
sation, Mr.. Sala said:
"By the way, Mr.. Barnum. what